Method and apparatus for spray drying



Oct. 30, 1951 2,572,857

J. M. HALL ET AL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SPRAY DRYING Filed Aug. 4, 1948 INVENTORS.

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Patented Oct. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE METHOD AND APPARATUS 'ron SPRAY DRYING Joseph M.'Hall and Herbert E. Tucker, Chicago,

Ill., assignors to Drying & Concentrating Company, a corporation of Delaware Application August 4, 1948, Serial No. 42,504 Claims. (01. 159-48) This invention relates to a, process and apparatus for recovering solids from a liquid and is particularly useful when the liquid being processed is of high viscosity or tacky, or when the drying must be done in a pre-selected atmosphere to prevent undesirable chemical reactions from taking place during the concentrating and drying operation.

Although the invention has wide application in the concentrating anddrying field, and is suitable for concentrating and drying such things as milk, eggs, fluid juices, etc., it will serve the purpose of this disclosure to describe the system and the apparatus employed therewith in its application to the process of producing furfural.

In addition to the above objects of the invention, it is also an objective to provide a system that is economical to operate, that effects full recovery of the solids in the liquid, as well as the liquid itself, and that is made up of relativeli inexpensive apparatus components.

Further and other objects and advantages will become apparent as the disclosure proceeds and the description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, which shows in schematic form a preferred embodiment of the invention.

It should be understood in describing the apparatus shown, there is no intention to impose limitations on the scope of the appended claims, except as may be required by the prior art.

Referring now to the drawing, the'reference character designates a tank or reservoir containing a liquid II which is to be concentrated and dried; In the process of making furfural from wood pulp, the latent liquor recovered from washing lignin fibers with water contains a substantial quantity of soluble materials which are appropriate for use in making iurfural. This latent liquor may be concentrated in any wellknown manner, and, for the purpose of this disclosure but purely as an illustration, it will be assumed that .the liquid II is the product of a .concentration process which results in the liquid ll containing a desired percentageoi solubles or solids, possibly on the order of fifty per cent. Also, it will be assumed, for the purpose of illustration, that the necessary acids, catalysts, and

In the present invention, this is avoided by the use of apparatus and process steps which cause the liquid to pass'through the apparatus at relatively high velocity, so that the material itself tends to scour out the apparatus and keep the walls clean. It has been determined empirically that if the velocity is too high, there is a tendency for abrasive action to take place, thereby damaging the apparatus, and the values of temperature and pressures will be determined in each instance by the character of the material being handled by the apparatus.

The liquid ll isforced by a positive displacement pump I2- into a line 13 and thence through a heating coil IS, the latter having a pressure control or reducing valve It on its outlet side which maintains the pressure within the line l3 at a relatively high pressure, say on the order 1 of five hundred pounds per square inch. A gas ate flashing into vapor of a substantial part of the liquid in the concentrate that is passed through the valve IS, the amount of course depending upon the pressure and temperature maintained in the line |3.. The highly concentrated residue flows into a tank 20 from which it-is ted by a pump 2| into the spray head 22 .ot a drier, generally designated 23', which preferably is o! the form disclosed in Hall patent, No. 2,217,547, is-

sued October 8, 1940.

The vapor flashed in the line l9,'due to the reduction in pressure of the concentrate from five hundred pounds to near atmospheric pres- .sure, is; separated irom' the concentratehy a separator 24 and fed through a line 25 to a heating coil 26 subjected to heat from a gas burner 21 controlled in its operation by the thermostatic heating regulator 28. The vapor is; superheated in this coil at a temperature of say 500":'Fqand is then fed through a line to the drier 23, where other chemicals have been added to make the liquid ll ready for further concentration and drying to powder form.

When concentrated to the extent of havin the desired percentage of solid material in the liquid I I, the liquid is of high viscosity and Ltacky,

and great diiflculty has been experienced in orit serves as the drying medium for the "highly concentrated material being-sprayed into the drier through the head 22. The superheated or vapor with its superheet removed by the drying action is then conducted through a passage 30 to a conventional condenser 3|, and here it is condensed, with the condensate being passed into a reservoir 32. Water inlet and outlet passages for the condenser are indicated at 36.

Preferably, the pump 2| is of the controllable, variable delivery type, so that the rate at which the liquid concentrate is delivered to the spray head 22 may be controlled in accordance with the capacity of the superheated steam entering the drier through the line 29 to completely dry the liquid concentrate. The powdered residue is collected at the bottom of the drier 23 and removed through a gate 33, as desired.

In order to efiect full automatic control of the process, and to maintain the apparatus as a closed system, the tank 28 is preferably closed but is equipped with a pressure regulator and relief valve 34 which is connected through a pressure tube 35 to modify the thermostatic control of the burner H. In other words, as the pressure in the tank 29 rises, the pressure regulator 34 serves to reduce the volume of gas flowing to the burner 17, even though the thermostatic control I8 calls for full heat, thus slowing down the first stage of the process until thedrying stage catches up to it. The relief valve associated with the regulator 34 is for obvious safety control. 1

It will be seen from the above description of a preferred form of the invention, and its illustrative application to the concentrating and dryan atmosphere of such vapor.

ing of furfural, that the system has many inherent advantages that make it suitable, not only for this purpose, but for other uses as well. The maintaining of the liquid in the line 43 at a relatively high temperature makes it more fluid and capable of flow without adhering to the pipes, and the velocity with which the liquidconcentrate moves through the system after it passes the valve 16 is suffici'ently high to sweep the line l9 clear, up to the tank 20. The pump 2|, in addition to being of the controllable, variable speed type, is also of the positive displacement type, so that there is no problem of the liquid being forced through the spray head 22.

Another advantage of the system that has been disclosed is the fact that the drying step is done in an atmosphere composed solely of vapors of the liquid which had acted as a solvent, or car rier, for the solid material. Hence, to the extent that it is important to keep the material being dried from contact with an oxidizing atmosphere, or an atmosphere containing substances which might react unfavorably with the material being dried, this is readily accomplished.

Although the illustrative use of the apparatus has involved the use of an aqueous solution, it is obviously suitable for use with non-aqueous solutions, with the pressures and temperatures being suitably chosen, in the light of the disclosure herein made.

It should be noted that the process and apparat'us is particularly advantageous when a vaporizable catalyst is used. .Such a catalyst' may be added to the material to be concentrated while it is in the tank I!) or before, and when it flashes into vapor after passing the valve l6, and

-1. The process of concentrating and drying liquids which consists in subjecting the liquid to heat and pressure, reducing the pressure of the UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,273,208 Weil July 23, 1918 1,482,143 Peebles Jan. 29, 1924 1,799,478 Peebles- Apr. 7, 1931 2,142,984 Thurman Jan. 3, 1939 2,170,351 Junklns Aug.- 22, 1939 2,182,428 Fladmark Dec. 5, 1939 2,217,547 Hall Oct. 8, 1940 2,289,191 Hall Jul 7, 1942 2 2,434,672 'Pattee Jan. 20, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number I Country Date 124,732 Great'Brltaln Aug. 28, 1919 2. The process of concentrating and drying liquids which consists in subjecting the liquid to heat and pressure, reducing the pressure of the liquid to a point sufficient to cause some of the liquid to vaporize, superheating the vapor thus formed, and then forcing the liquid concentrate in atomized form into intimate physical ,contact with a whirling mass of said superheated vapor;

3. The process of concentrating and drying liquids which consists in subjecting the liquid to heat and pressure, reducing the pressure of the liquid to a point suflicient to cause some of the liquid to vaporize, superheating the vapor thus formed, subjecting the remaining liquid concentrate to intimate contact with said superheated vapor by spraying said concentrate into an atmosphere of such vapor, and finally removing the vapor and condensing it.

4. Apparatus for concentrating and drying liquid concentrates comprising means for heating the liquid under pressure to a relatively high temperature, a drier including a spray head and inlet and outlet passages for a drying medium, a pump for delivering the material to be dried to the spray head, a conduit for delivering liquid concentrate from said first-named means to the pump, a pressure reducing valve interposed in said conduit, means. for superheating vapor flashed from the concentrate after it passes the pressure reducing valve, and means for delivering the superheated vapor to the inlet passage of the drier.

5. Apparatus for concentrating and drying liquid concentrates comprising. means for heating the liquid under pressure to a relatively high temperature, ,a drier including a spray head and inlet and outlet passages for a drying medium, a pump for delivering the material to be dried to the spray head, a conduit for delivering liquid concentrate from said first-named means to the pump, a pressure reducing valve interposed in said conduit, means for superheating vapor flashed from the concentrate after it passes the pressure reducing valve, means for delivering the superheated vapor to the inlet passage of the drier, and means for condensing said vapor after it leaves the drier.

' JOSEPH M. HALL.

HERBERT E. TUCKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references ,are' of record in the file of this patent:' 

